


ghost piles

by Drhair76



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Luke Patterson Needs a Hug (Julie and The Phantoms), Minor Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, PUPPY PILES BUT WITH GHOSTS, Sleepy Cuddles, a touch of angst for some spice, basically this is the sharing a bed fic but in the opposite direction :), big brother alex is my favorite alex thank you for ur time, other than that fluff fluff fluff, ray: oh cool i have ghost children now, they are family, touch starved bitches will be like: have a jatp fic !
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:20:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27433447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drhair76/pseuds/Drhair76
Summary: It's a mess of limbs and sharp elbows because Julie's bed is not made for four teenagers but it's the best sleep Julie's gotten all year. She wouldn't trade it for anything.or, three times the band shared a bed, one time they didn't and one time they did again
Relationships: Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 34
Kudos: 383
Collections: JATP Appreciation Week





	ghost piles

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is dedicated to all those amazing jatp fanart of the core four cuddling. I get SO much sarah tonin from those drawings you guys don't understand 😣🥺

The first time it happens is after the Orpheum. 

Julie is still kind of crying, sniffling into Alex's shoulder, and her boys are still shaking, shivering like they're freezing. Luke is leaning into Reggie with his whole weight and Alex is gently running a hand through Julie's hair, attempting for soothing. They’re scared and terrified and emotional but they all have each other. They’re finally holding each other and honestly, it’s exactly the way that Julie thought it would be. 

It's nice- it's _more_ than nice. It's warm and gentle and safe. It's everything that Julie's been missing from her interactions with them- that physical reassurance that they're there and that they love her. 

Of course, she knew that they did, she could see it in the way that Luke complimented her every minute he could or the way that Alex would make sure to check on her when she wasn't doing well. But it was a completely different thing to get a warm hug or a friendly kiss on the forehead like she could with Flynn or Nick. 

Being able to fall into their arms is like heaven to Julie. 

It's why she doesn't complain when they trail behind her like ducks on her way to bed. They stop in her doorway, kind of lingering, and Julie doesn't pause for a moment before jumping into bed and patting the covers next to her. 

Luke moves first, kicking off his sneakers and falling against her side, Reggie close behind. Alex moves slower, slipping in against her other side, letting Julie pillow her head against his chest. Somehow Reggie gets across Luke's legs and lays his head in her lap and Julie grins, reaching down to run her hands through his hair. Luke curls his arms around her waist and finds Alex's hand on her other side, fitting their fingers together. 

It's a mess of limbs and sharp elbows because Julie's bed is not made for four teenagers but it's the best sleep Julie's gotten all year. She wouldn't trade it for anything. 

...

Julie has noticed Alex lingering recently- not long and not much- and it hasn't been as awkward as that first time, back when she didn't know him and he didn't know her, but still. 

His eyes will drift over the pictures on her bedroom wall and he'll trace the wood pattern of the dresser. And Julie would think it's just what Alex does when he's thinking but Julie has _seen_ Alex when he's in the middle of a thought- leg bouncing or pacing or tap tap tapping on whatever surface he can find. It's just different. 

This hesitant lingering and gentle tracing is more reminiscent. More like Alex is _remembering_ rather than thinking. 

She brings it up one day after practice when Luke and Reggie aren't in the studio and have gone to help Carlos prank her Tia. 

"Don't, uh, take this the wrong way," she starts, unsurprised when Alex frowns anxiously, "but, is there something in my room that...I don't know, provokes a feeling for you?" 

Alex's eyebrows jerk upward like he hadn't expected that. "Provokes a feeling?" He repeats, confused. 

Julie tsks, trying to think of a way to explain herself. She absently presses against the keys of her keyboard, playing a few notes of their new song. "Like, whenever I smell peaches I think of _mi mama_ and the fruit smoothies she'd make in the mornings before work. Or when I hear ice cream truck music, I think of that time that Flynn and I went down to the beach with our basket and got waffle cones." 

Alex listens intently but that furrow of confusion in his forehead stays. "In your room?" 

"Yeah, I've just noticed the way you linger a little? If there was something in there that made you think of home or a nice memory then I wanted to put it in the studio for you."

Alex's expression wavers, going from surprise to something tender to a tiny grin and pink cheeks- almost as if he was amused but a little embarrassed. "Oh. No, I just-" he ducks his head, rubs at the back of his neck. "I mean, that used to be my room. I used to live here." 

Julie blinks. 

"Oh." She says. Now it makes sense, the lingering, the drifting, the time that she found Alex standing in their guest room just staring at the made bed as if lost in a memory. 

"Yeah," He chuckles sheepishly. He twirls his drumsticks- his nervous habit. "I guess that's a little weird huh? To find out that you sleep in the same room that your bandmate did twenty five years ago."

Julie's expression softens. "Not at all." 

Alex relaxes at that. A moment passes and Julie makes a decision. She stands, turning off her keyboard and motioning Alex to follow her.

He makes a confused noise when she leads him to her room, when she opens the door and stands to the side to let him in. She shuts in behind her and when he keeps looking at her with that puzzled face, she gently shoos him on. 

She watches as he walks around her room slowly, peering into the closet and onto her shelves and looking at all her random knick knacks. He picks up a seashell that she and Carrie found when they were kids and fiddles with the music box that her grandfather gave her for her birthday. Alex asks her questions about the posters she has up- _who are the Jonas brothers?-_ and compliments her string lights above her window. 

Even the embarrassment she feels when he points to a picture and she has to explain the time she chipped her tooth at a spring concert is worth seeing his expression- open and wide eyed and wistful. Just as Julie sometimes forgets that they're not alive, she also forgets that they're seventeen just like her. 

Her boys died _so_ young and she knows that they miss what they had, even if it wasn't the best. If there was anything Julie could do to help them, she would. Especially considering they've helped her so much- with her grief, with her music, with her pain- and all without even knowing it. 

"You know," She says, from her place on the edge of the bed, "if you're ever feeling nostalgic, my door is always open. I mean- I've been told on multiple occasions that I've got a pretty good bed here." 

Alex turns, his expression unreadable. "I- you do know that inviting me is basically like inviting Reggie and Luke right?" 

Julie leans back, smiling. "Yeah, I know. As long as you guys ask first I don't have a problem with it. I mean-" She flushes a little here. "I sleep better with you all anyway." 

Relief spreads over Alex's face and he smiles. "Me too. I- I thought it was just me." 

That night Julie falls asleep with her hands tangled in Alex's hair, Luke's feet tucked under her legs and Reggie half drooling on her shoulder. Julie doesn't care that she gets a crick in her neck because those lines of tension that Alex had been carrying around her house disappear like they were never there in the first place. 

…

She gets back from Flynn's house a couple hours after school- trying to book gigs was a lot more fun now that more people _knew_ who Julie and the Phantoms were- and is greeted with the sight of Luke in her room, sitting on her bed facing away from the door. 

She's about to tell him off for being in here without her permission- even though she's elated to see him- but then she notices the tension in his shoulders. 

And _then_ she notices the way he's hugging one of her pillows to his chest like it's the only thing keeping him together. 

" _Luke_ ." She says, dropping her bag to the floor and making her way to his side of the bed. " _mi alma_ , are you okay? What happened? What's wrong?" 

She kneels down in front of him, placing her hands on his knees, grateful that he's tangible, that their magic knows when to kick in. He doesn't speak, just looks up and his eyes are wide and wet and Julie instantly knows what's wrong. 

"Oh, Luke." She sighs sadly. She turns her palms upward and Luke immediately lets go of the pillow and puts his hands into hers. "I'm so sorry." 

He nods, sniffling. Julie feels a little helpless, knowing there's not much she can do to take away the hollow pain that grief leaves behind. 

"I just-" He says suddenly, voice choked up, "I _miss_ them. All the time. I was watching your dad help Carlos with his homework earlier, it just- it sent me back and I only want- " 

He cuts himself off but the picture is clear in Julie's mind, already painted. 

She stands and moves to sit next to him, keep hold on his hand, making sure their thighs are pressed together. He doesn't hesitate before dropping his head against her shoulder, allowing her to press a small kiss to the top of his head. 

"I'm so sorry Luke." She mumbles into his hair. "Really, I- sometimes I'll hear _mi tia_ say something my mama used to say and it'll get warped in my head, her voice changing to mom's. It's like I go all the way back to that moment- to her laugh and forget. Coming back to the present? it's like getting hit with the pain all over again."

Luke's thumb rubs at her hand gently, soothing her even in the midst of his own anguish. 

"Yeah," he croaks, "yeah, I'll remember little things, like-" he chuckles wetly, "my mom used to write little notes to herself around the house so she wouldn't forget things. Stuff like 'doctors appointment at three' or 'make a pie for the potluck'." 

Julie hums softly, playing with his fingers absently. 

"And it's just a thing about her that I loved. It shouldn't hurt me the way that it does. But the Christmas that I left I was planning on giving her this book so she could write all her reminders in it." He sighs. "I never got to give it to her. And I never will. And that sucks." 

"It hurts." Julie sums up. "Thinking about the things you wanted to do- the things that you figured you'd have time for. It hurts more than words can say."

Luke nods once, his hand tightening around hers. "More than words can say." 

They stay there like that, trading pain, offering comfort and reveling in one of the few times they can soak up each other. Reggie comes knocking on the door a little while later, looking for them both for band rehearsal but he takes one look at them and forgets all about it, pulling them both into a big hug. 

Julie hugs back, watching Luke out of the corner of her eye. He's grinning with red rimmed eyes, nuzzling Reggie like a cat, and maybe his smile's not as wide as she's used to but they'll get there.

"Alex, get _over_ here." Reggie says and Julie looks to the door to see Alex standing in the doorway, watching with soft eyes. 

Julie wiggles out of Reggie's hold and reaches out a hand. Alex's smile grows and he takes her hand allowing himself to be pulled into the puppy pile. 

"Reggie you are _crushing_ me," Luke wheezes.

Reggie burrows his head into Luke's chest. "Out of _love,_ Lucas, out of love." 

"Your love is _killing_ me."

Julie snorts, joining Reggie in tucking herself close to Luke. "You can't die again, stop complaining." 

Alex gets under Luke's other side and pokes at his face. He hums thoughtfully for a moment then goes, "Yeah, you look good to me." 

"Well _thank you_ for your professional medical opinion _Alexander."_

Julie rolls her eyes to herself, finds Luke's hand and folds their fingers together. "Luke?"

"Yes honey?" 

"Shut up." 

He sighs, long and loud, but Julie can hear a waver of happiness in it that wasn't there before. "Yes honey." 

…

Julie tells her dad that sunday night. She figures if he wanted to send her away for seeing things, at least this time he'd have to send Carlos away too. 

Ray is confused at first. He doesn't understand what she's saying. And then Carlos jumps in with _tainted street dogs from a car_ and he starts making that _face._ The _I'm_ _so very confused and worried that my offspring has been doing drugs even though I know they haven't_ face. 

So Julie pulls him down to the studio, sits him in a chair and gears up the guys to play one of their in progress songs for him. Ray's jaw practically drops out of his face. 

Luke is hopping around with nervous energy, Reggie is grinning like the cat who got the canary and of course, Alex is the only one who's even remotely normal, politely explaining the situation mid-jam with an easy- if nervous- smile. 

Julie can actually pinpoint the moment that her father chooses to take in the three ghost teenagers that she's in a band with. Reggie leans against Luke heavily and all that nervous tension just drains out of him. Alex subconsciously bumps against Luke's other side so he doesn't fall to the floor and doesn't even flinch when Luke hooks his arms around both of their shoulders and pulls them close. 

Ray's expression softens and Julie bites down her grin, knowing exactly how he feels. There's something about the way you can _feel_ the affection they have for each other and _see_ the connection between them that endears them to you. 

These ghosts came into Julie's life, stole her heart and then stole her room and she's so grateful for it. 

"I mean, the more the merrier, right?" He says, a gentle chuckle tucked under the words. "Which one of you has been helping Carlos with his science homework? And which one of you has been doing the dishes for me?" 

Reggie raises a sheepish hand, says, "me for both of those," and Ray's smile gets infinitely bigger. 

"Oh I like this one." He tells Julie and it's all worth it to see the way Reggie ducks his head to hide his flushing cheeks. 

…

Julie doesn't really expect it when Ray gets the guest bedroom ready. 

She just- she figured they'd keep doing what they'd been doing. That nothing would change. The boys would pretend like they're going to sleep down in the studio and then one by one as they give up the ghost, they'd make their way into Julie's bed, where she'd be waiting up knowingly. 

But Ray pulls out blankets and pillows like Carlos is having a sleepover and starts making up the bed and the couch. 

"Your ghosts _can't_ all be comfortable in that loft bed." Ray says. "One can take the guest bedroom, one can take the couch and one can say in the studio. Soon I'll have a better alternative." 

Julie sneaks a glance over to said ghosts and they all look like they're in various stages of panic and despair. 

"Reggie could sleep in my room!" Carlos says loudly, snatching a blanket and throwing it around his own shoulders like a cape. "It'll be like a sleepover!" 

Reggie's eyes soften but Alex and Luke still look disconcerted. 

"Um, dad, I don't know- I think they might like being closer to one another. And ghosts technically don't sleep anyway." 

Ray stands up and puts his hands on his hips, looking down at the made bed with a satisfied smile. "Well, if they decide to start sleeping, they'll each have a place to go. I'll find something better in the meantime." 

…

Julie doesn't sleep half as well that night. 

She stays up, staring at the ceiling, rustling then smoothing her covers. It's lonely, she realizes, being in her bed by herself. She's never felt like this before, Carlos only ever slipped into Julie's bed after a nightmare or when he was upset. But now that she's met her phantoms and can finally touch them, she finds herself craving it in the quiet moments, none more so than when she's about to sleep. 

She can't imagine it's any better for her boys though. They're always hanging on one another, or curled close like they're huddling for warmth. The look on their faces as they poofed into their separate spaces- it made Julie's stomach twist. 

She can understand their trepidation. In those rare moments when it's just her in the studio alone, or she's walking to Flynn's house without Reggie by her side, her mind drifts to that night after the Orpheum. Their gasping breaths, their feverish faces- she _never_ wants to go back there. And maybe keeping her boys close won't prevent that from happening again, but having Reggie's hand in hers or tucking her head under Alex's chin keeps those nightmares away. 

She sighs and presses her face into the pillow, imagining it's Luke's chest. 

…

An hour in, she hears a creak and she's up instantly, squinting into the dark. She's nervous for a split second, thinking of a vengeful Caleb or bright flashing jolts, but then Reggie's voice rings out. 

"Julie?" He calls, "Are you still awake?" 

"Reggie-" She sighs, relieved. "I- yeah. I'm awake." 

"Um- I know your dad made beds for us but-" He pauses and Julie can hear his voice waver. "I just- sleep better with people since-"

"Reggie." 

He pauses. "Yes?" 

" _Please_ come in."

There's more silence and then the bed dips next to her. She turns and throws her arms around him, tucking her face in the crook of his neck. She breathes him in, wood and smoke, like a campfire. He relaxes, the tension leaving him and she'd bet her whole keyboard that he didn't get a _wink_ of sleep. 

She hears a poofing sound and then hears Luke's voice. "Jules, I know your dad was being nice but I just can't- oh. Are you guys having a sleepover without me?" He pouts. 

Julie rolls her eyes. "Luke, shut up and come over here." 

He immediately poofs over, landing practically on _top_ of Reggie. Reggie groans loudly and Julie stifles her giggles as the bed bounces from Luke's weight. 

" _Luke-"_

"-It's _love_ Reggie! It's love!" 

Julie cups Luke's face in her hands and gently pulls him close to press a kiss to his forehead. He instantly goes quiet and when she moves back he's blinking and all pink in the face. 

"Hi Luke." She says softly.

"Hi Julie." He replies, his eyes big. 

"Hi guys," Reggie says, voice strained, "I think Luke broke my rib." 

Julie cracks a smile and then shoves Luke off of Reggie, sending him tumbling to the floor. Reggie takes a deep breath and when he exhales, it comes out in a whoosh. 

"Thank God, I think I was seeing stars." 

"I just wanted to sit next to Julie." Luke says from the floor. His voice is muffled as if he landed face first into her rug and just decided to stay there. 

"I thought you were giving me love-" Reggie huffs. 

"Where's Alex?" Julie frowns. 

"-and _besides,_ Luke you _always_ sit next to Julie, it's my turn-" 

Luke pokes his head up, making huge eyes at Reggie. "Reggie, I love you," He whines shamelessly, "Can I _please_ sit next to Julie? Please?" 

"You guys both suck, I want Alex." She says simply. They both make short offended noises and Julie closes her eyes, ignoring them. She reaches down down down, to that little piece of her that is connected to the boys- the little piece of her that she feels light up when they perform- and she _tugs._

Reggie and Luke jerk but Alex fully poofs into view, his eyes wide and looking disheveled- like he hadn't been sleeping well. 

There's a pause and then- 

"What the _fuck_ was that _?"_ Luke demands. 

"That was _weird."_ Reggie blinks, pressing a hand over his gut like he ate something _else_ that was bad. "I can't tell if that felt good or bad." 

"Julie," Alex gasps. "I- are you alright? What is going on?" 

"I wanted cuddles." She says loudly. 

Alex's worry melts into a smile and he climbs into the bed next to Julie. Reggie folds himself into her other side. Julie relaxes fully with a sigh. 

"Um," Alex says after a moment. "why is Luke on the ground?" 

"It's comfortable down here." Luke says, his face back in Julie's rug. "The rug and I are friends now." 

"Luke?"

"Yes Julie?" 

"If you get your face out of my rug and get up here I will play with your hair." 

Luke scrambles up, moving faster than Julie's ever seen him. She bites back her smile when he buries his face into the front of her hoodie and starts purring like a cat. She runs a hand through his hair, scratching at his scalp, Reggie tangles his and Luke's fingers together and then Alex drops a gentle kiss into Julie's hair. 

"I love you guys." Julie mumbles as her eyes flutter closed; unable to stay awake now that she's finally comfortable and has her ghosts around her. 

The last thing she hears before she drops off to sleep are the three of them, unisonly chiming "We love you too Julie."

**Author's Note:**

> yes this now leads to surprise bear hugs being announced with "ACCEPT MY LOVE" as luke/reggie launch their bodies at each other. alex and julie watch with HIGH levels of judgement in their eyes because they cuddle like Normal People. :)


End file.
